Behind the scenes

Town Players on DVD: Documentary chronicles production of 'Arcadia' last season

Christina Hennessy, Staff Writer

Published
2:35 pm EDT, Friday, July 9, 2010

Contributed photo/Tom Hughey
From left, Andrew Morris, Damian Long, Caroline Osborn, Susan Doran, Steve Whitaker and Kyle Runestad perform a scene from the Town Players of New Canaan's recent production of 'Arcadia.' The show, from auditions to the dismantling of the set, is featured in a new DVD produced by the Players that will be shown in July on Connecticut Public Broadcasting Television. less

Contributed photo/Tom Hughey
From left, Andrew Morris, Damian Long, Caroline Osborn, Susan Doran, Steve Whitaker and Kyle Runestad perform a scene from the Town Players of New Canaan's recent production of ... more

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Contributed photo/Tom Hughey
From left, Andrew Morris, Damian Long, Caroline Osborn, Susan Doran, Steve Whitaker and Kyle Runestad perform a scene from the Town Players of New Canaan's recent production of 'Arcadia.' The show, from auditions to the dismantling of the set, is featured in a new DVD produced by the Players that will be shown in July on Connecticut Public Broadcasting Television. less

Contributed photo/Tom Hughey
From left, Andrew Morris, Damian Long, Caroline Osborn, Susan Doran, Steve Whitaker and Kyle Runestad perform a scene from the Town Players of New Canaan's recent production of ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

Behind the scenes

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Community theater companies tell all sorts of stories season after season, but do they ever get a chance to tell their own tale?

With the help of a production team and a willing cast and crew, the Town Players of New Canaan have done just that with the release of "Another Opening, Another Show." The half-hour DVD takes viewers through a typical eight-week production cycle, beginning with auditions and ending with the dismantling of the set.

"We really wanted to be able to tell the community theater story, by showing those 25 to 30 people over eight weeks of their lives and what they go through," said Robert Doran of New Canaan, who is board president of the Town Players.

The documentary follows last season's production of "Arcadia," a 1993 play by Tom Stoppard. With its large cast (a mix of novice and seasoned actors), period costumes and props, and other elements, Doran said it was a "great example of anything and everything we wanted to talk about in the theater."

The group, which is in its 63rd season, worked with Kinetic Media, a Hartford-based production company. John O'Neill, who runs the business with his wife Rosemary Keogh O'Neill, and cameraman Chris Peck spent many days and evenings early last year at the Powerhouse, the 120-seat theater that has served as home for the Players since 1983.

"One of the things when you do this kind of `fly-on-the-wall' documentary is that you have to keep rolling all the time," O'Neill said. "You don't know when something will happen."

It is that spontaneous nature of live theater that the Players are hoping to convey in the film. It is the idea that something fresh and new is created every single night a play is performed. It is the idea that a first-time actor finally finds his or her stride an hour before opening night. It is the sense that all those unexpected behind-the-scenes moments are sometimes more interesting than the production taking place on stage.

"Each production has its own story and drama attached to it," said New Canaan resident Sheri Dean, a longtime member of the theater group, who at various times has acted, directed, produced, built scenery, obtained props or served on the board. She and her sister, Tanya Bickley, basically grew up with the Players, as their parents helped to form the theater company in the 1940s.

On a recent afternoon, some of the members of the Players team, Patrick Kiley of Fairfield; Dean; Doran and his wife, Susan; and Lynne Bolton of New Canaan shared some of those stories, which quickly led to laughter, as they recalled late evenings, temperamental props and onstage bloopers. And then there were those magical moments, when auditions revealed the perfect actor for the perfect role or the team came together in the final moments to complete the set.

For Bolton, who has directed and acted with the group over the years, the magic of this medium keeps her coming back.

"You build a kind of bond," she said. "One night you are playing a maid, another night you are playing the lead, and still another night you might be painting the set. You get to know these people well, and that is really the gift."

As to community theater's place in community, the group was quick to answer. Not only does it add to the history of the town or city in which it is based, but it also provides a night out of quality theater for an affordable price. And the lure continues despite the fact that today's generations have so many more devices and gadgets to preoccupy their attention and time.

"From time immemorial, people have found something magical about live theater," said Susan Doran, who was one of the actors in "Arcadia."

Viewers throughout Connecticut will get a chance to sneak a peek behind the scenes when the film makes its broadcast premiere on CPTV at 10:30 p.m. July 18. There will be two encore performances, at 7:30 p.m. July 24 and 1 p.m. July 25.

One needs more than a half-hour to tell the whole tale, but for now the Players are hopeful the statewide airing will put a spotlight on not just their work, but the work of the more than 150 other community theater groups and companies sprinkled across the state.

"There is a great sense of history here, in the sense of what we are creating, as well as what we have created," Robert Doran said.